Game of Thrones won't be back till next summer — and next season will be just 7 episodes

If Kim Kardashian didn't break the internet, this news might: Game of Thrones won't be returning until next summer. HBO announced in a press release Monday that the seventh season's start date has been pushed back from spring 2017 to summer because the show's executive producers felt "the next season would be better served by starting production a little later than usual, when the weather is changing," given it's now winter in the show's timeline. Shooting won't begin for the seventh season until later this summer.

Brace yourself, because the news gets even worse: After the extended wait, the seventh season will be just seven episodes long.

On the bright side though, the season will be shot in Northern Ireland, with some portions filmed in Spain and Iceland — so at least it's likely that those seven episodes will be packed with more dazzling imagery.

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